Washington Monument elevator briefly stops working

WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- Just two days after the Washington Monument reopened to the public, the visitor elevator temporarily stopped functioning.

Officials say the elevator broke down at 10:53 a.m. and was put back into service at 12:25 p.m. The 18 visitors in the elevator at the time of the stoppage were allowed out on the ground level, and 61 people were stuck at the observation level.

All visitors were evacuated safely, officials say.

"The elevator at the Washington Monument, like the elevators at our other sites, is heavily used and like any mechanical system is subject to breakdown," said Carol Johnson, spokeswoman for the National Mall and Memorial Parks. "Our staff is well trained to handle period outages like this one to en ensure the safety of our visitors, as they did today."

The National Park Service will attempt to accommodate all visitors who were unable to get into the Monument at their ticketed times.